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Henry Big Boy .357 Review: Loading Gate Carbine

The 16.5-inch Big Boy carbine is a .357 Magnum lever gun that doubles as a gentle .38 Special plinker. Here is what is confirmed, what to check, and where it falls short.

Short answer

The Henry Big Boy carbine is a 16.5-inch, 7+1 lever gun chambered in .357 Magnum that also takes .38 Special, so one rifle covers mild practice and full-power loads. Choose it if you want a handy, low-recoil carbine; skip it if you want a larger magazine or a box-fed rifle for pointed bullets.

What you are actually looking at

Strip away the walnut and the brand mystique and the Henry Big Boy carbine is a small set of facts. The Henry Big Boy .357 Mag / .38 Spl carbine is listed with a 16.5-inch barrel, a 7+1 capacity and a loading gate on the receiver. Listings for this model number describe a color case hardened steel receiver, a blued octagon barrel and an American walnut stock. Those are cosmetic and construction details worth confirming on Henry's own page, because Henry sells several Big Boy variations that look alike in thumbnails.

That is the whole spec sheet we can stand behind. Weight, overall length, sight dimensions and trigger pull are things to read off the manufacturer's specification page, not off a review roundup.

The case for owning it: one rifle, two personalities

The reason to look at a .357 lever gun at all is the cartridge pairing. A rifle chambered for .357 Magnum can also fire .38 Special, which is a shorter, lower-pressure round. In practice that gives you two modes:

Practice mode. .38 Special loads are mild, which makes for comfortable range sessions, easy follow-up shots and a good way to introduce a newer shooter to a lever action without punishing recoil.
Field mode. Full-power .357 Magnum loads give the carbine its reach and its usefulness on game where it is legal and appropriate for the animal. Always check your state agency's rules on legal cartridges and calibers before hunting with it.

The practical upside of a two-cartridge gun is cost control and flexibility: you can shoot a lot of the gentler round and keep Magnum loads for when they matter. If you also own a revolver in the same chambering, the ammunition overlap is the real bonus. Our network's revolver site walks through .38 Special versus .357 Magnum from the handgun side.

For ammunition, you can browse the .357 Magnum ammo category and filter for flat-nose, round-nose or hollow-point bullets that are safe for a tube magazine.

What to check before you buy

Magazine and bullet shape

This is a tube-fed rifle. Cartridges stack nose to tail, so pointed bullets do not belong in the magazine. The issue is covered in detail in our tube magazine ammo safety guide, and it applies to every centerfire lever gun with a tubular magazine, the Big Boy included.

Feeding with short rounds

Lever guns are sensitive to overall cartridge length. Many shooters find that some .38 Special loads, especially those with unusual bullet shapes or very short overall lengths, feed less smoothly than full-length .357 Magnum loads. Whether that happens in any given rifle varies. The honest approach is to start with a box or two of a standard flat-nose .38 load, cycle it slowly with an unloaded rifle first, and check the manual's guidance on ammunition.

Loading method and unloading

The listing identifies a loading gate. Per the explanation in our Side Gate guide, Henry's side-gate models let you top off through the receiver while keeping the removable tube available for unloading. Confirm the exact procedure for your rifle in the manual, and practice it with dummy rounds or an empty rifle in a safe direction before the first range trip.

Never rely on a loading-gate shortcut to skip the basics: unload, lock the action open, and visually and physically check the chamber and magazine every time you handle the rifle.

Who it suits, and who should look elsewhere

Pick the Big Boy .357 carbine if you...	Look elsewhere if you...
Want one rifle that shoots gentle .38 Special and Magnum loads	Want a magazine larger than seven rounds
Like a short, quick-handling carbine rather than a long rifle	Plan to use pointed, high-ballistic-coefficient bullets (consider a box-magazine Henry Long Ranger instead)
Already own a .357 or .38 revolver and want matching ammunition	Want a polymer-and-rail tactical layout (see our Henry X Model guide)
Appreciate a traditional walnut-and-steel look	Need the lightest possible rifle for long carries

An honest word on trade-offs

A 16.5-inch carbine is a compromise by design. It is faster to handle in brush and easier to carry than a long-barreled rifle, but it gives up some of the sight radius and velocity a longer barrel can offer. If you mostly want a range plinker and have no intention of using Magnum loads, a .22 lever gun will cost far less to shoot, and our budget .22 lever gun roundup covers those options.

If hunting is the goal, treat the .357 as a modest-range tool: practice at the distances you expect to shoot, learn exactly where your chosen load impacts at those distances, and respect the limits of the cartridge. Match the load to the game and to your state's law.

Bottom line

The Big Boy carbine is a straightforward way to get a .357 lever gun with a side gate, a manageable barrel length and the option of mild .38 Special practice. Verify the details on Henry's page, buy flat-nose or round-nose ammunition, and treat the tube magazine with respect. If those trade-offs fit how you shoot, it is an easy rifle to recommend as a starting point. For wider context on the cartridge, read our .357 Magnum lever gun guide.

Editorial note: This is an independent editorial overview built from manufacturer specifications and publicly available information. We have not performed hands-on testing of the products discussed, and nothing here is a performance guarantee. Verify specifications, compatibility and legality for your own situation.

Frequently asked questions

Can the Henry Big Boy .357 shoot .38 Special?

Yes. The rifle is listed as .357 Mag / .38 Spl, and .38 Special is the shorter, milder cartridge. Confirm the approved ammunition in Henry's manual for your exact rifle before you shoot.

How many rounds does the Big Boy .357 carbine hold?

The listing shows 7+1, meaning seven in the magazine and one in the chamber. Capacity with shorter .38 Special rounds is a question for the manual, since tube length is fixed.

Can I use pointed bullets in the Big Boy?

Not in a tube magazine. Stick to flat-nose, round-nose, semi-wadcutter or hollow-point bullets, or loads specifically made for tube magazines.

Does the loading gate replace the removable tube?

Henry's side-gate models add a receiver gate while keeping the removable inner tube for unloading, per our Side Gate explainer. Check the manual for your model's loading and unloading steps.

Sources and further reading

This independent educational article does not replace official instructions, professional advice or legal guidance. Re-check sources before relying on time-sensitive details.